The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), as one of the oversight agencies of the Localization of Magna Carta of Women is in the forefront of going through the plan, budget, and accomplishments of the Gender and Development Program (GAD) of all local government units across the country.

To strengthen this institutional mechanism in local governance, the DILG Region IV-A through the Local Government Monitoring and Evaluation Division (LGMED) convened all cluster heads for an orientation and workshop, March 28 at El Cielito Hotel, City of Santa Rosa, Laguna.

LGMED Chief John M, Cerezo said that the DILG IV-A deemed it necessary to capacitate its technical personnel to effectively and efficiently carry-out the task in terms of the review and endorsement of the said plan and report.

The GAD Focal Persons and the Planning and Development Coordinators of the five provinces in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) region were also invited to level-off their understanding and close the gap in ensuring that the GAD plan and budget is relevant and appropriate in responding to gender issues and concerns of their respective constituents and personnel

Mr. Donald James Gawe and Ms. Lovely Mores, both from the National Economic and Development Authroity (NEDA) Region IV-A discussed and facilitated the workshop on the key perspectives and parameters of reviewing the LGUs’ GAD plan, budget, and accomplishment reports.

Said key persons, who also serve as secretariat to the Calabarzon Regional Gender and Development Council (RGADC), also reoriented the participants on the Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines (HGDG) analysis tool.

Part of the roles of the DILG is to ensure that GAD is mainstreamed in the local policy-making, planning, programming, budgeting, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of a local government unit.